Kansas High School Spring Spotlight: Great Bend
March 18, 2024
The Kansas high school baseball season kicks off on March 19, opening day for regular season action under KSHSAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2024 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball Kansas Preseason Power 25 Rankings.
Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.
Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.
High School: Great Bend
Head Coach: Randy Beck (12 years experience)
Classification: 5A
League: Western Athletic Conference
2023 Record: 13-10
2024 SEASON OUTLOOK
No. of Returning Starters:
8
Top Returning Players:
Carson Umphres (JR) CF/P 6'5 175 lbs. R/R. Carson led our team in almost every offensive category: BA .455, 35 hits, 9 dbl, 5 trpl, 24 RBI while hitting mostly 3 hole for us. On the mound he went 5-4, 1 save, 23 hits, 17 BB, 43 K, 2.79 ERA. Carson has worked hard this off-season and is a consistent competitor and will be a great leader this season.
Koehn Ribordy (SO) OF 5'10 165 lbs. R/L Koehn hit .333 as a freshman last season and is a solid defender. We are expecting great things from Koehn this season.
Ian Premer (SO) 1B 6'6 185 lbs. L/L. Ian hit .328, 19 hits, 3 dbl, 3 trpl, 15 RBI. Ian has some pop in his bat and we are looking to build on that this season.
JJ Grove (SO) MI 5'10 165 lbs. R/R. JJ had an OBP of over 400, 15 hits, and 15 Runs.
Hunter Herrman (JR) IF 5'11 170 lbs. R/R. On the mound Hunter went 2-3 with 1 save. He pitched 16.1 innings giving up 16 ER and 31 K. Hunter will be one of our top pitchers this spring.
Owen Kaiser (JR) C/IF Owen is our starting catcher and will become our vocal leader behind the plate. I anticipate a good year for Owen.
Trent Kern (SO) 3B 6'0 180 lbs. R/R. Trent played a great 3B for us last season as a freshman and will only continue to get better this season.
Top Newcomers:
Daxton Minton (SO) 5'11 165 lbs. R/R. As a freshman last season, Daxton was competing for playing time until an injury set him back. Daxton is a really good athlete that can play several positions. I also believe that he will be one of our top pitchers this spring.
Slade Mohr (JR) 5'9 165 lbs. R/R. Slade is in the mix to earn playing time including logging some innings on the mound.
Carson Poe (JR) 6'1 175 lbs R/R. Carson is a player that can play several different positions but outfield is his best. He is long and lanky and will also be pitching in our rotation. Caron also hit .333 last season on limited at-bats.
Coach’s Insight:
“Team strengths for us will be our pitching and defense. I feel like our defense will make the routine plays and we have the pitchers to take us deep into games. Last season we didn't put up the numbers offensively like I thought we would. If we can execute offensively, get some timely hits, and put the ball in play we like our team potential.” – Randy Beck, head coach
Find more information on the 2024 Great Bend program below:
+ Follow them on X: @baseballGB1
+ Visit Prep Baseball Kansas’ 2024 KHSHAA Season Preview page to learn more.